My Girl
by MCVG
Summary: Embry/Leah. "But I guess that's love. It's messy. It's messy, and someone always gets hurt." My take on what would happen if Embry had imprinted on Leah. Read & review!
1. Chapter 1

I wasn't supposed to be here.

I don't know how exactly I'd even gotten to the beach in the first place. One second I was trying to focus on my geometry homework and the next second I was lying in the damp sand while the relentless rain pounded down on my face. Maybe I really was going crazy.

It was a horrible day. The kind of day where you stay inside as much as you possibly can just to attempt to avoid the dreariness of it all. Gray skies, foamy white waves, rain that sounded like bullets and felt like hail. I hated the rain. You'd think someone who lived in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State – the one place in the world where sunshine was nothing more than a myth –would get used to these ugly days. But I didn't. I never did.

Everything was normal, but something had changed. I felt like my whole world was falling apart _and_ _I didn't know why. _Why did the waves seem to be crashing to the shore louder than normal? Why could I hear every rustle in the wind? My head was going to explode. I pressed my palms to my temples and groaned, trying to fight back the headache.

"You okay?"

A man, a few meters away from myself, cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted something. I hadn't noticed that someone else had been on the beach. Which was weird and also relieving, because it meant that I really just _was _going crazy, not gaining some sort of superhero senses.

"Hey, man, you shouldn't be here," the man said, his feet crunching beneath the sand as he came closer and closer to me. By the time he stopped his long strides, he was towering over my sprawled out form, and I could make out his face through the downpour.

I recognized him. And he wasn't a man at all. Just Paul Nato, a senior at La Push High who everyone seemed to instinctively avoid. He hung around that older guy, Sam Uley, who my mother was convinced was involved in some sort of cult activities. She warned me to stay far away from Sam, and Paul, and their other friend, Jared. "_They're up to know good, sweetie_," she'd say, pursing her lips in distaste. That was okay though. I hated Sam's gang of friends.

So, I was really fucking pissed. Who was Paul Nato to tell me I shouldn't be here? It was a public beach for crying out loud, and I could come here whenever I damn pleased.

"Just minding my business," I snapped at him. My hands were shaking, and I balled them into fists as I sat up. Then suddenly, my entire body was shaking. I couldn't even see Paul so much anymore; his form blurred as my shaking heightened.

And I know it's crazy, but I was pretty sure I was dying. Because why else would it feel so hot right now? It was Washington State! I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and didn't feel the slightest bit cold. Plus, the shaking wouldn't stop. I couldn't control it at all. I felt wild.

"Whoa, chill out," Paul warned, looking at me like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Embry, right?"

I didn't die. Instead, I quite literally exploded out of my skin. And I mean I _exploded _out of my _skin. _Suddenly, I was several feet higher than before, and for a few incoherent seconds all I could think about was relief that the shaking had stopped. Then I realized I had fur.

Hello, panic attack!

I tried to let out a scream of horror, but all that came was a loud, long howl that vibrated through my entire…body. Except it wasn't my body. Not at all.

_Calm down. _

I was now schizophrenic, too.

I was still howling and hyperventilating and I took off into the forest just because I was now sure I was asleep, and the running would probably help me wake up.

_Embry…Embry Call, _that same voice in my head called. _Slow down. It's okay. Calm down and I'll explain everything. _

And I did slow down, eventually. But when Paul did explained everything, I really wished that he hadn't.

**So, for some reason, I got the idea for this story and I'm just kind of going with it. These first couple chapters are kind of fillers before I get to the whole Leah part, but I hope you enjoy them. Please tell me what you think :) Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. It's not mine. **

**So, here's the next chapter!**

**I'm really not that thrilled with this one, but I just wanted to get it posted so I could move onto the more interesting stuff! I really love Emily, but I always pictured her as a very maternal character, so in this chapter I channeled my mother and I guess that's why Emily turned out the way she did here. Also, there's kind of a lot about Imprinting, I think? I guess that's just because I love werewolves, love the whole Imprinting thing, and also it sort of sets the tone for this story in a way. But mainly it's because I'm in love with Sam and Emily and Kim and Jared. But whatever. ;) **

**Please read and review! :D**

The worst part of being a werewolf? Losing my friends.

I couldn't talk to Jake or Quil anymore, at least for the time being –Sam, the alpha of our little pack, predicted that both of them would change soon themselves – because I was still young and not fully in control of my emotions. At any given moment I could turn into a big giant wolf and rip someone's head off.

The best part? The brotherhood. Sam, Jared, Paul and I had been running together for about a week, and already they were like my family. Spending all of our spare time together was one thing – being inside each other's minds was another altogether. My mom was none-too-pleased, but I didn't care much. These guys were the only people in the entire world who understood.

"Oh! Dude! Pay up!" Paul guffawed, holding a hand out to Jared for the money they'd just bet on God knows what. Sam rolled his eyes, and in the kitchen, Sam's fiancé Emily called, "No gambling inside of my house, Paul!"

I put my feet up on the small table in front of the couch, devouring a bag of potato chips and flicking through the channels on the TV. To my left, Jared was whispering into his girlfriend Kim's ear, his happiness plain as day.

Imprinting was one of those things that could be viewed as good or bad. To Sam and Jared – who'd both Imprinted on their respective partners, Emily and Kim – it was a blessing. They loved them more than anything in the whole world. I knew because I could see their thoughts, and how they were completely wrapped around their imprint all the time. Sam didn't make a decision without thinking of how it would affect Emily; Jared didn't go anywhere without making sure Kim was safe and happy first. Paul often joked that it ought to be considered the worst thing to ever happen to a man – one vagina for the rest of his life – but Sam and Jared certainly didn't think of it that way. And me, I'm not sure how I feel about it.

"Jacob's growing bigger everyday," Sam told me, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. Sam was tall – taller than my six-four, probably taller than everyone on the entire rez – and something about him was so chief-like that even if he wasn't my Alpha, I bet I'd listen to him anyway.

"Aw, man," I said, tossing the remote and chips away from me. Nothing killed my laid-back mood like a mention of my best friends. I couldn't wait until Jacob and Quil changed – except that a part of me wasn't sure I wanted them to have to go through all that.

"If I have one more werewolf barging into my house and eating all of my food, I'm relocating," Emily announced bluntly, sliding a tray of nachos onto the coffee table. "For the love of all that is holy, _Embry, _get your feet off of my table!"

"Sorry, sorry," I muttered. I sat up straight and stretched out my neck. Emily rolled her eyes as Paul and I immediately dove into the nacho platter, almost breaking her table down in our haste.

"Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…" she mumbled to herself as she turned back to her kitchen, no doubt to make more food for her own personal pack of wolves.

Sam glared at us, irritated that we'd upset his beloved Emily, and hurried off in her direction.

"Well, then," Paul huffed.

Kim was now resting on Jared's chest while he stroked back her hair. It would have been a rather nauseating sight except for I was completely used to it by this point. Plus, I was smart enough not to comment on it like Paul always did, because I knew one day it could happen to me, and I probably wouldn't want the rest of the guys teasing me about it.

"Sam's pretty psyched about Jacob phasing," Paul snorted. "You'd think he doesn't _want _to be alpha."

"Yeah, well, Jake's not gonna want to be alpha either," I muttered.

Jacob Black and I had been best friends since we were kids. Our birthdays were around the same time, and so our parents forced us together, forming a brotherly bond over the years. My mom had been good friends with Mrs. Black before she died. But Jacob thought all of the Quileute legends were a big joke. He laughed scathingly whenever Billy would try to go on about them. Plus, now he was friends with that Bella girl, the leech's ex-girlfriend. I liked Bella just fine, but I still felt some unspoken bitterness towards her for hooking up with a _vampire. _A vampire! Jacob wouldn't like any of this one bit.

Quil, though? I'd known him about as long as I'd known Jake, and we were every bit as close, and if I had any idea what was going on in that big head of his, I bet he'd be pretty freaking psyched about the werewolf thing.

Which was kind of sad.

Because I really wasn't.

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"So," Emily began that night at dinner, setting her fork down on her plate and looking straight at Sam. "I want to invite Leah and Seth over for dinner this week."

Paul and I – Jared having already taken Kim home for the evening – immediately glanced at Sam, then back at Emily, then at Sam again. He looked awfully uncomfortable. There were patches of red making their way up his neck, and he cleared his throat.

"You really…want to?" he asked, sounding like there was something stuck in the back of his throat.

Emily nodded. Sam looked torn between his own torture and his need for Emily to be happy. Poor Sam. He couldn't deny Emily anything.

"Sorta like rubbing salt in the wounds, huh, Emily?" Paul snorted. He chugged his glass of water and set it back on the table, eyebrows raised.

"She's already agreed to be in the wedding," Emily snapped moodily. "And I haven't seen her and Seth in so long. I'm sure she is completely okay by now." She paused, and twisted her engagement ring around her finger. "You know Leah. She's beautiful. I'm sure she has herself a million boyfriends by now."

Leah Clearwater, Sam's ex-girlfriend, _was _beautiful. She was pretty much La Push's resident Barbie doll and the subject of every boys fantasies since they hit puberty, including mine. But Leah had had eyes for only one boy since she was little: Sam. Sam had loved her too, of course, and they were together all throughout high school. Planned on getting married. Till Sam met Emily, that is – Leah's cousin and close friend – and suddenly he didn't feel anything towards Leah anymore. So now Leah was kind of a bitch, but no one could really blame her that much, since she had no idea about the whole werewolf or imprinting thing.

"Maybe I'll make my move," Paul suggested thoughtfully.

Sam threw a fork at him.

"Samuel Levi Uley!" Emily exclaimed, jumping out of her seat. "Do _not _throw utensils at the dinner table! How many times do I have to say that before you boys will actually listen?"

Sam put his head down, chagrined.

Paul rolled his eyes at me, and I chuckled under my breath. Only tiny little Emily Young could get the chief of the tribe to look so ashamed.

"What time's she coming, Emily?" Paul finally asked after a few moments. Emily had taken her seat again, but she looked very flustered, like maybe there was something more bothering her than Sam's habit of throwing silverware.

"Paul, I do not want you within thirty yards of my house tomorrow," Emily warned. "It is a family gathering. I don't want you ruining it in your drive to _get some_."

"Tomorrow?" Sam asked incredulously. "You already _asked _them?"

"Well, yes," Emily admitted quietly. She brushed a piece of hair behind her ears, revealing the long, red scars on the right side of her face. I automatically averted my eyes – I'd felt Sam's remorse for what he did so much that a part of me felt guilty for it. "But you should thank me. At least I didn't tell you when I first made the plans, or else you'd have to worry about it all week long."

Sam half-smiled and walked around the table to wrap his arm around Emily. Paul gagged on a piece of his chicken.

"That's my cue," I announced. I stood up from my seat and clapped Paul on the back. "Thanks for the food, Emily."

Emily gave me a kind smile – the kind you'd get from your mother or grandmother after you brought home a good report card – and I left.

"Dude," Paul said as we walked the few blocks to our houses, "you think Leah will get over Sam anytime soon?" There was a gleam in his eye that was both excited and hopeful.

"Maybe," I shrugged. "But definitely not for you, bro."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it took so long to update! It's been pretty hectic lately.**

**So, I think I like this chapter okay. I've discovered I'm just no good at describing what it would be like to Imprint, but I tried my best. Please Read and Review!**

I pride myself in being a sensitive kind of guy.

And I know in some people's dictionaries, sensitive translates as gay. But I'm not gay – I like girls, a lot. I'm just more understanding than most guys. More in touch with my emotions, if you will.

So when I woke up that morning and heard the sound of sobs coming from my mother's bedroom, I immediately forced myself to get up to see what was wrong. What can I say? I'm a gentleman.

"Hey, Mom, you okay—?"

I hesitantly pushed open her door, peaking in before entering. Mom was there, sitting cross-legged on her bed with a box of tissues and blood-shot eyes. Her nose was bright red and she crumbled a tissue in her hands. Even looking like she'd just sobbed out all the tears in her body, my mother was pretty. She was younger than most of the other guy's mom's 'cause she was so young when my father knocked her up.

Which was another thing. Being that my mom was Makah, and was born and raised over at the Makah reservation, I'd always just assumed that's where my father was. But apparently only Quileutes could phase into wolves – which meant my father had to be from La Push. And also that it was either Quil's dad, Jake's dad, or Sam's dad. Which is actually really fucked up, if you ask me. I didn't ask my mom about it, though, because really, I had more sense to bring it up with a clearly emotionally unstable woman.

Ever since I can remember, Mom's been an emotional nutcase. Apparently my newfound rebellious adolescent stage is really pushing her over the edge, though.

"Oh, Embry," she cried now, blotting under her eyes. "Why aren't you ever in your bed anymore? Please, EmEm, I can't handle not knowing where you are at night! You need to be home!"

I shuffled my feet nervously. "I'm sorry, Ma," I mumbled. "Some things have come up. With, uh, Jake. I had to go over there last night for…support."

"Don't think I can't tell when you're lying to me!" she cried out, putting a hand to her chest. "I birthed you, Embry!"

Why did Mom's always feel the need to bring that up in casual conversation?

"You're spending your time with those…those _boys_!" She said the word 'boys' like it physically pained her to do so.

"They're not bad guys, Mom," I said quietly. I knew she wouldn't believe me, but a part of me felt compelled to defend my brothers, even against the weakest verbal abuse.

"I think I can judge that for myself," Mom sniffed indignantly. "And what about Jake and Quil, honey? They haven't come around here in almost two weeks, and I know you haven't been going over there, so don't even try to lie—"

"Jake and Quil are busy," I muttered, using my last excuse.

There was a long moment in which Mom contemplated whether or not she wanted to believe me. For a good portion of my life, Mom just swallowed whatever I said and took it as the truth. If I said that girl hadn't just been in my room, then that girl hadn't just been in my room. It was a form of denial, probably, but Mom was happier not knowing certain things. Now, however, it seemed like she felt it was time to step up and take action.

"You're grounded," she finally declared, once her internal debate had wrapped up. Her sobs were slowly subsiding, and she pushed aside the used tissues in front of her. "I'm sorry, Embry. But you are not allowed to spend your time with Sam and those other men anymore. They're not a good influence on you. I wish you would see that."

It was harder than it should have been, having my mother say those things to me. I knew that I was not going to be able to follow her grounding, so it probably should have meant nothing to me. But I didn't _want _to make my mother upset. I hated knowing she was up in the middle of the night worrying about me. My whole life, I'd always been there for her, and now I couldn't be, and it _sucked. _

"Yeah, okay," I mumbled.

Mom stood up off of her bed and reached me in two long strides. Her face searched mine for a moment, and she placed a hand on my cheek. "You know I'm only doing this because I love you, sweetheart."

"Of course I do, Ma," I replied. "I love you, too."

***

I felt Jared flinch when I phased.

_More trouble on the home front? _he asked sympathetically.

_Yeah_.

I tore through the ground wildly, my furry legs flying over the forest grass. It was almost sunny today, but it was hard to tell from here, under the canopy of mossy green. For some reason, all I really wanted to do was run right now. Just stretch my legs out and soar, soaking up the vague remnants of the sun while it lasted.

_Don't know what I'd do if Kim or my mom didn't know, _Jared was thinking, still channeling his inner sympathy. I wasn't really listening, and he caught on to that pretty fast. _Anyway, Paul's crashing Sam and Emily's family dinner. _He snorted as he replayed Paul and his earlier conversation.

_Sam's gonna be pissed. _I rolled my huge eyes at the thought of the fury that an already-tense Sam was going to unleash on Paul today. We all knew how much he was dreading this dinner, but to have it interrupted by Paul? That was definitely going to be the last string.

_Think we should head down there, make sure they don't kill each other or something? _

_I dunno. Maybe one of us should keep watch, just to be sure. _

Jared didn't fully form the thought, but I saw snippets of Kim in his mind. _It's okay, man. I can do it. Go on to her house. I'll howl if it gets out of hand. _

_Thanks, bro. I owe you one. _

Jared phased back into his human form and darted off into the trees, leaving me completely alone inside my head. I must say, I'm probably the only one of us who prefers being in wolf form with some company. Maybe because I'm the only one with nothing I wouldn't want the others to know about. And plus, when nobody else was around, it got a little lonely and depressing inside this big old wolf's body. Too much room…my thoughts were not enough to fill it.

I jogged over to Sam and Emily's little house, not in any sort of haste to get to the certain brawl. I was actually sort of surprised neither of them had phased yet – surely they wouldn't fight in their human forms…

No one was outside the house, which made me skeptical. I walked in like a policeman would approach a crime scene – carefully, slowly, and defensively. There was a clattering of metal noises in the dining room, and I heard a tiny buzz of conversation. Now truly worried that Sam might have _actually _killed Paul, I stepped right in, earning a shriek from Emily and a surprised look from Sam.

"Oh," Emily said, throwing a hand to her heart. "Embry. What do you want?" She shot me a dangerous look.

Sam, however, looked relieved. "Embry!" he said much too loudly, and motioned to a seat at the end of the table, next to one where Paul was sitting. "Come, sit, eat."

Paul grinned at me, cocking his head a little to the left. I tried to be sneaky about catching a glimpse at Leah, but the second I met her steady gaze, that façade was out the window.

I'd experienced imprinting through Sam and Jared's memories and I'd thought I had a pretty good idea of what it felt like. To me, it had seemed, it was just like your world shifting a little bit: realigning so that only one thing was important anymore, your imprint. Simple enough.

Except when it _happened_, it was nothing like that at all. It was too strong to put into words. One moment, I was Embry Call, the lethargic werewolf with the psychotic mother. The next, it didn't even matter _who _I was. All that mattered was that this girl in front of me – Leah Clearwater, no less – was the happiest woman in the world. She had to be safe from everything – there would be no letting her out of my sight again, it was too risky. She _had to _have whatever she needed, and wanted. It was my personal duty to make sure that she did.

Gravity _did _shift, but it was such a swift and quick alteration that I couldn't concentrate on it. By the time I realized what had happened, it was already done. Everything in my entire world faded, except for Leah's face.

And it was the most beautiful face. Long, billowy layers of perfect black hair were pulled up into a neat ponytail with just a few wisps hanging loose. She was tan, with her classic Quileute skin, and had big brown eyes that were now the highlight of my world. Her lips were full, her cheekbones high, her nose tiny and perfect. She wasn't standing, but you could tell she was statuesque, like a model. Her proportions were similar to a model, too, all thin and tall and well-built.

I couldn't find the right word for what she was. That she was beautiful was obvious, but it seemed to overused a word to be appropriate. _Perfect _worked, too, but somehow it didn't seem like quite enough to cover her.

Vaguely, I was aware of voices. I couldn't really focus on them. All I could see was Leah's mouth turning down in a slight frown, her eyebrows coming together, as she looked at me.

"Oh, _come on_!" Paul slammed his fist down on the table, outraged. "No fucking way!"

"Sam," Emily murmured frantically. "Sam, did he just--?"

I wanted to say something, but every time I tried the words died in my throat. All I could do was stare at my world, right there in front of me next to Paul.

Sam rose from his seat slowly. I could see from the corner of my eye him exchange a look with Emily. His expression was unfathomable and black, furious. He came over and put a hand on my shoulder roughly. Normally, I would have flinched, but I was a little too preoccupied.

"Come on, Embry," he muttered. "Let's get you outside."

Paul, still furious, sauntered into the backyard before us.

"No, I—" I said finally as Sam tried to pull me away from the table. It hurt, like a stabbing pain in my gut, when I was not watching Leah.

"Pull yourself the fuck together, you're freaking Leah out," Sam spat when he finally managed to throw me into his garden.

"Move the fuck out of my way," I almost shouted, trying to push passed him and back into the house.

"I do not _believe _this!" Paul hurled at the sky.

"Look," Sam said evenly, calm on the surface now, "I know this isn't your fault, Embry. But I can't—"

"You let her go," I snapped angrily. "You _hurt _her! I saw your memories, I remember the look on her face. You don't deserve to be anywhere near her, Sam! You shouldn't even be allowed to lay eyes on her after what you did. Let me back in there!"

"So you can what?" he asked, challenging me. "Waltz in there and declare your love for her? Leah's tough, Embry, and she's going to need wearing down."

"Fine," I said. "Fine! I don't care about that. Just let me in there so I can…can…can see her, at least."

"Dinner's over," Sam informed me. "Emily's taking Seth and Leah to the kitchen for some coffee right now. Maybe you should just go home and think this through."

He was mad. He was mad because I'd imprinted on his ex-girlfriend, the one he'd dumped for Emily, the one he'd stomped all over in his haste to be with his stupid imprint. I felt the aggravation coming off of him in waves, but I choose to sidestep them. If I was less hostile, it would get me to Leah faster, I reasoned with myself.

"I think I'll stay for some coffee, actually," I said, and then pushed passed him.

"I hate you," Paul called from somewhere behind me.

Emily was clearing the plates now, and I could see Leah and Seth conversing in the adjoining kitchen. Emily glanced up at my arrival and gave me a huge, genuine smile. "Oh, Embry," she gushed, "this is so wonderful! I'm _so _glad that you've—well, you know—especially on—" She glanced warily towards the kitchen, making sure neither of her cousins had overheard her.

"Yeah," I said absently. "Um, I'm gonna go to the—the, uh, kitchen."

"Oh, right, yes," Emily agreed breathlessly, all but dropping the plates back on the table. "I'll come with you."

Probably wanted to make sure I didn't make a fool of myself in front of Leah. Maybe I should have been grateful.

"Leah, this is Embry Call," Emily introduced me as we entered the tiny space.

Leah nodded slightly and shot me a tentative smile. "Hi, Embry," she said. Her voice was hands-down the most beautiful thing anyone anywhere had ever heard. She extended her hand, and even though my whole body felt very similar to Jell-O, I took it in my own.

It felt very right to have her hand in mine. Not in the cliché 'electric current' way, but more like a homey sort of feeling. Like everything was right in the world now that we were together. My entire body buzzed with contentment.

"What about me?" I heard Seth asking Emily, who added hastily, "Oh, yes. And Seth."

I smiled at the kid, then looked back at my Leah. I was right, she was tall – about five-eleven, maybe six feet – and her bones seemed to be protruding in places they shouldn't be. Her jeans were sliding down her hipbones, and her shirt was baggy on her. I worried she wasn't getting enough to eat. She looked pale underneath the tan, and there were dark circles under her eyes, like she'd stayed up all night worrying. The brown swirls of her eyes seemed somehow sad, too. If Sam was the one who'd made her so upset…well, it made me want to punch him right in the face.

Actually, it kind of made me want to rip out his heart and stomp all over it.

"Embry's a junior," Emily said, assuming the role of match-maker a few seconds later. "But he's very tall for his age. Don't you think he's tall for his age, Leah?"

Leah quirked an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah, I guess."

"Very tall," Emily agreed. "But anyway, he lives over in Chinook Drive. And—"

"That's great," Leah interrupted before Emily could finished. "But I think we're going to head out, Emily. Thank you for…having us."

Her voice was not at all sincere, and under any normal circumstances I might have thought she was being rude. But not Leah; Leah could never be rude.

"Oh." Emily looked confused for a moment before plastering a big smile on her face and wrapping her cousin in a hug. "Alright. I hope you both can come again soon."

It took me a few seconds to realize what was happening. Leah was leaving. _Leaving_. As in, going out of my sight. Back to her house, where I couldn't watch or monitor that she was okay. The idea had my insides all tied up in knots.

"Tell Sam I said bye," Leah muttered before she left.

I was frozen to the ground, staring at the place Leah had been standing moments before. She moved so gracefully and quickly out the door, I didn't have a chance to collect my thoughts before I scrambled out after her.

"Wait, Embry, don't—" I heard Emily's voice vaguely, but my feet were already carrying me out the door.

The day seemed a little bit brighter now, although I was almost positive it had nothing to do with the weather. Maybe this is what it would be like from now on, with Leah in my life. Bright, perfect, happy, complete.

I reached Leah before she climbed into her car. She let out a startled noise and widened her eyes. "Embry," she acknowledged, and it was the best feeling, my name on her lips. "What are you doing out here?"

"Hey, Embry!" Seth greeted me with a big grin.

"I, um…" Shit. I hadn't thought this through enough. "I wanted to make sure you were okay," I mumbled finally. I couldn't lie to her. She deserved nothing but the truth.

"Ah."

That had obviously been the wrong thing to say. Leah threw open the door to her blue truck that I recognized as Harry Clearwater's and climbed in the driver's seat. She was about to slam it shut when I caught it with my right hand.

"I'm sorry," I told her earnestly. "I didn't mean to—"

She looked supremely irritated. I would have thrown myself under her car so she could run me over if that would make her look happier. All I wanted was for her to smile.

"No, I get it," she said. "I'm the pathetic ex-girlfriend in the way of the perfect marriage. I understand how that would earn me sympathy in some people's books."

"I don't think you're pathetic."

"That's because you don't know me."

_I could, _I thought despairingly. _Please, let me know you. _

"She's right," Seth chuckled. "She_ is _pathetic."

The look that Leah shot him was one of exasperated maternal compassion. I made note of that. Leah loved Seth. Maybe I could use that…

"Why are you still here?" Leah asked when I didn't leave right away.

"I want to drive you home," I replied immediately. "Emily thinks I should see you guys home." I internally flinched. I didn't like lying to Leah, no matter how much time it would buy me with her in the long-run. "With the rain and all."

Leah leaned her perfect head out of the car and glanced at the lightly drizzling sky. "_Emily _said that?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah," I said. "Well—"

"I think I can drive myself just fine," Leah snapped. "I've been driving longer than you have, kid." She revved the engine. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home now."

I couldn't just ignore her request. She wanted me to move, and I had no choice. I removed my hand from the hood of her car and backed away slowly, keeping my eyes on her face the whole time. And when she drove down the road, it was that face that was still staring back at me, permanently imprinted in the forefront of my mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took forever, I went on a trip for school all of last week and then this week was Spring Break and I was SWAMPED with homework! **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :]**

**Please tell me what you think! **

Harry Clearwater was by no accounts a stern man, except when it came to the matter of his daughter.

He was around fifty, graying in some places and balding altogether in others, with a big round beer-belly and a contagious laugh. Every time I'd met him in my life – which was several times, as due to the small population on the reservation – he'd always had a smile on his face. So it was odd to be seated across from him at his dining room table with his mouth pulled down into a frown and his eyebrows furrowed together.

Sam and Jared were at my flanks, and Jared seemed to be doing most of the talking. Sam was engaged in a full-out stare-down with Sue Clearwater, who seemed to be winning by a long shot. Apparently, neither of the Clearwater parents felt much sympathy towards Sam after what he'd done to Leah, even if they knew the reasoning behind it.

"I don't know much about this imprinting nonsense," Harry admitted at one point. He stared right at me, and it took much of my courage not to drop my gaze. I felt ashamed. "Never understood it, n'matter how many times Billy tried to explain it to me after what…well, what happened last year." He glanced at Sam for a minute, who lowered his head solemnly. "But if you say you're going to look after my daughter, and make her happy, then I don't think I have much of a choice. Leah's had a hard time of it lately."

"I'm sorry, sir," I said immediately. Because I _was _sorry. I felt a renewed urge to dismember Sam.

It hadn't been my idea to come meet with the Clearwater's, but Emily had insisted we do it the moment Leah and Seth drove away. I would have gone anyway, just to make sure she made it home alright and then to do a little low-life watching, but this was at least a more commendable way of checking up on her. It was an unbelievable comfort to know she was just upstairs, where I could rush to her side if anything went wrong.

"Not your fault," said Harry gruffly. "But I want you to know, we don't tolerate much nonsense around here. The moment you try something Leah doesn't want you to—"

"Never, sir." I cleared my throat. "I don't plan on telling Leah until she's ready. I won't push her into anything she doesn't want."

"Good." This time it was Sue who spoke. She stood up from her seat next to her husband and smoothed out her black hair. Sue was young for her years, small and feathery, with Leah's brown eyes and a vulnerable-looking mouth. The only hint of her well-known stubbornness was the set of her chin, square and sharp. I had a feeling Leah shared that stubbornness. Slowly, she crossed the table and placed a small hand on my shoulder. "Take care of her," was all she said before exiting the room.

Sam looked like he wanted to die right there, and even Jared looked a little remorseful. I clenched my fists under the table.

"My wife's been concerned with Leah lately," Harry explained apologetically. "After…well, you know – she just hasn't been right. Too many boyfriends, too many late-nights. She comes home drunk and nothing we say or do will stop her."

There was a vision in my head, a vision I could have gone my whole life happily without seeing. Leah with a boy, Leah in a car, swerving down the road, drunk and out-of-control – losing control of the car and running into something, anything, and then my whole world going black. No more lightness, no more sun, no more reason. I couldn't bear to even think about it without having to fight back vomit.

"Mom, why can't you just go—?"

Snapping out of my reverie, I immediately lifted my eyes to see Leah jogging down the stairs, looking exasperated, with her mom trailing behind her. She'd changed into a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt that shouldn't have looked amazing on anyone but did on her anyway. Her hair was tied carelessly in a ponytail, her makeup smudged just a little bit around her eyes. Still, she looked like an angel.

"Oh." She stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of the company in the room. "Embry…Jared…Sam. Hi."

"I'm afraid I need the car to go into Port Angeles," Sue Clearwater said regretfully. "But someone needs to head down to the grocery store; Seth's been eating us out of house and home."

Leah looked awkward now, glancing at the kitchen like she was going to make a run for it. I wanted to grab her and take her somewhere where she'd be more comfortable. "We don't have a car," she mumbled.

"I have a car," I offered. The look on Sue's face told me this had been her plan all along.

"Yes, yes, Embry has a car. He can take you, can't he, Leah?" She smiled encouragingly at Leah, who seemed horribly confused.

"I guess?" she muttered. She rubbed a hand over her unruly hair and bit her lip. I had the strongest compulsion to grab her, kiss her on her those very lips, claim every part of her and make it known that she was mine.

Leah stared at her mother for a second longer before sauntering to her room to grab a pair of shoes.

"I—thank you," I told Sue earnestly. "Really, thank you."

"Just make her smile," Sue said, "and we're even."

***

As it turned out, Sue and I might never be even. Leah was not an easy person to get to smile, I realized, as I drove through the rain-slicked roads. I felt bad that I hadn't gotten a chance to clean out my crappy old truck and Leah had to sit around old McDonalds bags, but that didn't seem to be the problem. Leah was a perpetual frowner.

"Who the hell _are _you?" she demanded to know as soon as I buckled myself in.

"Embry Call," I replied promptly.

"No, who do you _think _you are?" Leah's eyes flashed dangerously. "Most guys that are, you know, interested in me, wait a few weeks before playing the parents card."

"I wasn't trying to play any card."

"Sure seems like it."

I didn't reply, instead staring intently on the rain-slippery road in front of my eyes. Normally, I was not at all what you would call a cautious driver, but now that I had Leah, everything was thrown into a more clear light. People died in car accidents, and I had the most important passenger in the entire world. I couldn't afford any risks.

"You drive like my grandmother," Leah informed me when the silence got to me uncomfortable.

"Does that bother you?" I asked curiously.

"My grandmother is a ninety-year-old Alzheimer patient. Hell yes, it bothers me."

Without consent from the sensible part of my brain, my foot stepped harder on the peddle, propelling us faster through the streets. That was the thing about imprinting. Your brain didn't have so much say anymore.

"What were you all doing in my house?"

Silence. I didn't know how to reply. In school, Jake, Quil and I used to get ourselves into all kinds of trouble, and as a result I was the master of impromptu excuses. But now I had nothing.

"I…Sam had some things to discuss with your parents." It sounded like the flimsiest excuse in the world.

"Did they involve me?"

"No," I said, because I had a feeling the truth would make her even angrier.

"Bullshit." Leah leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes, and in that instant she looked so vulnerable I had to grind my teeth to keep from reaching out to her. My hands locked around the wheel and my eyes blurred. If I was outside, far away from my Leah so that I could never hurt her, I would have let myself explode into a form that could more easily handle this. I wanted to be a wolf, where I could sort through my problems in simple steps with easy solutions.

"My mom would beat the crap out of Sam if she could," said Leah quietly. "She'd happily rip his head off. She's small, but she's vicious. Sometimes I think she'd actually hurt him if I hadn't told her not to."

I quirked a small, pathetic smile. "She cares about you a lot."

"No," Leah replied. "No, that's not it. She's competitive, and she lost. It pisses her off more than you could imagine."

"What did she lose?" I asked.

"Sam." Leah smiled wryly. "Her and my Aunt Mary are constantly at each others heads. You see, Mom had me, and Mary had Emily. We were best friends, the same age, did all the same things. We were both just as pretty. Our personalities were practically the same. It killed my Mom, because she could never come out ahead." She stared at the road, her mouth quivering very slightly. "But then I started dating Sam, and it was great, because he was great, and Emily never had anyone like him – Mom thought she'd finally won. She'd brag about it all the time. If Sam had just broken up with me, she would have been bitter. But since he left me for _Emily _of all people…well, Aunt Mary and my mom are in the middle of a holy war."

"That's not true," I said. "And anyway, you'll find someone someday." _Me. Me, me, me. _

"No, I won't. Mom thinks I finally snapped and no man will ever want to marry me."

"Why?" I asked, unable to comprehend, filled with biting rage for Sue Clearwater for not seeing how amazing her own flesh-and-blood was.

"She says," Leah explained with a small smile, "that no man ever marries a woman who sleeps with him on the first date."

I gaped. The feeling that consumed me then was similar to that of being stabbed with twenty steak knives right to the gut. I felt sick, thinking of Leah with someone else. Even though I'd known it had been like that with Sam, she'd just blatantly confirmed he was not the only one. Who knew how many men she'd dated. I wasn't mad at her, but I wanted to single-handedly find every single one of them and bend them in half.

She was _mine_.

"I'm sorry, that sounded so slutty of me," she added, thoughtful. "I'm not very good at censoring myself."

"That's okay," I managed to choke out. My voice sounded uncommonly hoarse.

"Anyway," Leah continued on, either dubious of my coronary or making a point of ignoring it, "now all my mother has to brag of is Seth. I've been dubbed a lost cause as far as my family's concerned."

"You're not a lost cause," I told her tightly.

"Oh yes, I am," she countered. Then, finally, she smiled at me. It wasn't a happy smile exactly, but it was genuine, I could tell. "It's kind of fun, if you do it right."

***

My mom once told me to never go into a grocery store hungry.

A more warranted warning would have been to never go into a grocery store with Leah Clearwater.

I found myself so obsessed with her eating habits I almost pinned her to the ground and shoved food into her mouth. She showed no interest for anything, just grabbed what she said Seth liked, wrinkled her nose in distaste at all of the junk food, and refused to purchase half the things on Harry's list.

"I swear, Daddy eats anything you put in front of him," Leah said. "Mom tries to monitor it – he's got high blood pressure – but he'll sneak it in anyway."

"Don't you eat anything?" I asked desperately.

"'Course I eat," Leah snorted. "I'm not a damn anorexic. I just don't have the appetite of a freaking bear."

"Let me take you out to dinner," I suggested so I could be sure of this. "Tonight. Tomorrow. Whenever you want. I'll take you to Port Angeles, and we can get some real food, and—"

Leah put down the box of cereal she was examining and faced me with an unreadable expression. "You don't want me, Embry."

It was just what she would say. _She _didn't know how wrong she was, how she was what I wanted most in the world, more than I had ever or would ever want anything.

"I'd be so bad for you." She let out a rough laugh. "God, I'd be horrible for you. You're just the kind of guy someone like me needs…but I'd fuck you up so bad."

I wanted to say that I didn't care. That it didn't matter to me how bad she fucked me up, how much I hurt, as long as she let me be with her. It would have been more truthful than anything I'd ever said in my entire life. But I didn't want to make her think I was crazy.

"Maybe the challenge would be good for me," I suggested in the same tone she always used, leaning down close to her face with a smirk. Her eyes darted around, searching mine, and a slow smile made me grin.

"Maybe," she allowed.

The air around us was intense as we both stared at each other for a few moments longer. I realized that this was what Leah needed. To be pursued by someone who actually cared about her, who'd put up with her games and stand by her side no matter what. And I'd be that guy.

"You know what would be good for _you_? Food. Fattening, greasy, sugary, mass-produced food," I said. Before she could open her mouth to reply, I picked up a packaging of Oreos and stuffed them into her hands. "My God, please eat some."

"Why?" she asked, perplexed.

"You look like one of those starved orphan kids from the donation ads on TV."

She scowled. "No man has ever accused me of being toothin before."

_You're not, _I thought. _You're perfect. _

All I said was, "I'd still feel better if you ate something."

But she set down the box of cookies back on the shelf anyway.

"I don't eat those. I'm not a fan of chocolate."

"Everyone in the entire world is a fan of chocolate."

"Not me."

"I have never, in my entire seventeen years of life, met anyone who would pass up chocolate. You just don't do it."

"I just did," she pointed out.

"You're a freak of nature," I teased. "Obviously, you need me to save you."

"Ha!" she laughed derisively. "You'd have to pin me to my deathbed before I'd ever admit I need any man to save me."

And then I flinched, because even though we were just playing around, the thought of her on a _deathbed _made me want to fling myself into a fireplace or something.

"One day, I'll get you to say it," I said, and tossed the Oreos into her cart.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter Five._**

**So I have some major apologizing to do. I had this chapter written up before, like two weeks ago. THEN, my computer crashed and deleted half my files. Let's just say there were some tears involved and a major document search party ensued, but I was unable to uncover the lost chapters. So I lost this story, a whole shitload of other stories I was writing, and a bunch of schoolwork. I literally would have failed my senior year if that company in Singapore hadn't invented the USB device. (And yes, I looked up who invented the USB device; I was feeling that grateful towards them). **

**So anyway, I'm rambling. I wrote up this chapter in record time tonight, before I even did my homework. I'm sorry it's really late, but I hope you'll enjoy it. Please excuse me if it sounds rushed - it probably does, because it is. I'm sorry, I just didn't have much time to dedicate to this at the moment. But I hope you enjoy it, and please review =)**

Being that I'm not metrosexual, I've never really felt the need to bring in help to examine my wardrobe. Even before I had the whole Holy-Shit-I-Just-Exploded-and-Ripped-My-Last-Pair-of-Khakis thing to deal with, I didn't give much thought to the outfit-selection procedure. Which was fine.

Except now I'm standing here in front of my closet, wondering what kind of clothes Leah likes on a guy, what she will think of my new shoes, and if I'm good-looking enough for her.

It's not exactly something I'm proud of.

"Mom!"

For some reason, mothers – at least mine – don't react well to raised voices. Meaning that my mother basically has a stroke and bolts into my room at the speed of light, in case, you know, I'm being abducted or having a seizure or something. And then when she finds out everything is fine, she goes apeshit on me, which is what she was doing now.

"Embry Call, do _not _raise your voice in this house unless something is seriously wrong! You can walk _five feet _outside your room to come and get me yourself, or—"

"What do you think of this shirt?"

Mom's entire face softens in her confusion. She glances at the dark blue collared shirt I'm holding up and then back at me. "You want my advice on…clothes?"

My mom never had a daughter. I think for a while she tried to make me gay to fulfill that particular fantasy, but once that didn't work out, she turned to buying me cartfuls of clothes that I didn't need or like and we definitely couldn't afford. Once she realized that her job as a cashier at the souvenir shop did not, in fact, cover for the entire Tommy Hilfiger winter collection, she gave up trying.

"You always looked good in navy," she said sagely.

According to the rest of her lecture, I also looked good in forest greens, rustic reds, and deep browns. I was a Fall.

It's funny how sometimes you can actually feel your manhood being stripped away from you.

"Okay, okay! Thank you, Mom."

"So what's the story? Is this for a girl?" Mom planted herself criss-cross on my bed, smiling so hugely I thought her jaw might be aching.

"No."

"Oh, come on," she pleaded. "Talk to me! You never talk to me anymore."

"I talk to you all the time," I countered.

"Bullshit. Never about anything important, or interesting." Her face slipped into a pout.

"I don't have anything important or interesting that I want to tell you."

_I'm a werewolf. _

"There must be a girl in your life, though, right?"

_Yeah, her name is Leah Clearwater. She's my soul-mate, and if I don't see her in the next ten minutes, I am seriously going to have a coronary and die. _

"I don't have time for this," I groaned. "I gotta go, Ma."

"Where? You can't go anywhere, you're grounded!"

"Just out to the beach. I wanna catch it before it gets dark," I lied, all smooth.

"Sorry, sweetie. No can-do."

I seriously, honestly, totally wanted to rip my mother's head off right then. I'm normally a pretty chill kind of guy, but for some reason, just the fact that she was trying to keep me away from Leah made me want to hurt her.

"Okay, I lied," I said through my teeth. "I want to see a girl."

"A girl? Who?" If I had thought my Mom was going to be stern about this, I would have been disappointed. Immediately she lit up like the Fourth of July and was demanding for more information.

"You don't know her…"

"Try me."

"I'm not dating her. It's no big deal," I pleaded. "Please just let me go."

"Not before you tell me who you're going to see." She paused. "Don't give me that tortured look, Embry! A mother has every right to know where her son is going."

I would have told her Leah, except I couldn't be entirely sure my mother wouldn't corner her in a shop and start discussing wedding plans if I did. So instead, I blurted out the first thing I thought of.

"Her name is Bella."

"Bella…wasn't Jacob seeing a girl named Bella?"

"Yeah." I gave her a pointed look.

The light-switch went on. I could practically here the _click _in her head as she processed this new information. "Oh…_oh._"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, Embry," she tsked, taking on the role of the wise parental advice-giver. "Try not to let this come between you and Jake, okay? I know how serious this all must seem now, but she's only a girl; there's plenty more out there."

I smiled at the irony. There weren't plenty more out there – there was only one.

"Be back by curfew." She kissed my forehead and left. It didn't matter to her that she thought I was stealing my friend's girl, as long as I was happy doing it.

Maybe that's the thing about love. It makes you do and agree to crazy things that would never make sense to anyone else. But when you're the person experiencing it…it all makes perfect sense.

As long as their happy.

***

I watched her window all that night.

It was sick and wrong, and if another guy had been thinking the things I was, I probably would have beat them to death with a smile on my face.

But she was Leah, and I was Embry, and somehow just thinking that made it seem okay. Like maybe I wasn't some normal Peeping Tom, because I loved her and we were meant to be together.

At least, that's what I'll tell myself.

She was a very sound sleeper. She faced the opposite wall of the window, curled up in a ball, gripping a pillow in her small hands. Her dark hair spilled over her pillow like silk. There wasn't one movement as she slept, one twitch or shift, only the steady rhythm of her breathing. The sound of her breaths were enough to keep me calm. My entire body seemed to buzz whenever I was close enough to her.

A few times her cell phone buzzed on her nightstand, but she was never awoken by the sound. I desperately wanted to know who was calling her so late in the night, but I couldn't see the caller ID from my position on the ledge of the window.

_It could be anyone, _I told myself. _It's probably just a girlfriend. _

But the chance that Leah could have a man in her life was enough to torture me through the night.

I'd never been a particularly jealous or possessive person. I'd had three serious girlfriends before, and they were all mostly the same – pretty, nice, and fun. I think I'd even liked them, but that was hard to recall with all these new feelings for Leah clouding my head. Girls had liked me because I respected them. I knew how to treat a girl like a lady, opening doors and paying for dinners and holding heavy things for them. I wasn't pushy or clingy. Basically, I was an amazing boyfriend.

Except I didn't know how to be any of those things with Leah. It wasn't enough to do any of the thing's I'd done for all the other girls I'd liked. She needed more, I had to give her more, but it seemed impossible that I could. I didn't want to push her, but I wanted to be with her already. I didn't want to cling, but I _needed _her.

It was impossible, all of it.

The morning sun crept over the horizon much too early. I wasn't ready to leave, but I knew eventually the light would wake Leah, and I didn't think she'd take too kindly to the fact that I was stalking her. I waited until the sun was pouring a steady stream of sunlight into her bedroom before jumping down from the second-story and landing smoothly on my feet.

I was just about to take off running when I heard the front door open with a light creak and I instinctively turned around. I wasn't good at this sneaking around thing.

"Embry?"

I breathed out an audible sigh of relief that it was only Seth who had caught me. He would be a lot easier to convince of my innocence than Harry or Sue.

"Hey, Seth."

"Whatcha doing here?" He looked confused, his eyebrows coming together as he glanced from me to the window. "Were you with Leah…"

It bothered me that he didn't sound surprised that a man would be in Leah's room at night.

"No! No, I wasn't," I said quickly. "I was taking a walk," I finished lamely.

"It's raining."

"Yeah, I know."

"Oh." Seth waited for me to continue, and when I didn't, he tactfully said, "Well…would you like to come inside? My mom is making cinnamon rolls."

If I'd been thinking straight, I probably would have declined. It would make Leah upset if she saw me in her kitchen so early in the morning. She'd make assumptions of my intentions that were entirely untrue, and probably think I was a freak. But since I hadn't exactly been thinking straightly lately, I agreed.

"Hello, Embry," Sue greeted me casually when we arrived in the kitchen. "What brings you around this early?"

"Just a morning walk," I replied in the same easy tone. "Seth invited me inside. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not. Sit. I'm making breakfast."

I followed Seth to the table, feeling awkward as I glanced at Harry, who raised his eyebrows at me.

"Mornin' there, Call," he said.

"Good morning, sir."

"Should I be worried about you being here again so soon?" Harry squinted at me, tucking his napkin on his lap.

"Probably not," I said.

Harry _harrumph_ed, muttering something like, "That's what they all say."

"Does your mama know you're here?" Sue asked me as she set down a platter of steaming rolls. My mouth watered at the sight of the food, and I realized I hadn't eaten since dinner last night, a record since my transformation.

"I told her I was leaving," I said, nodding. I glanced around myself nervously. "Is Leah going to be coming down?"

"Leah doesn't eat breakfast," Seth explained.

"Doesn't…eat breakfast…" I squeezed my eyes shut for a second and cracked my fingers under the table. "Of course."

I had a bite of one of the rolls, but found that despite the deliciousness, I couldn't enjoy the meal at all. If Leah didn't eat, I didn't want to either. But it would be rude to leave Sue's meal untouched, so I manfully swallowed the rest of it whole.

"So, Embry." Harry pushed away his plate and folded his hands over his stomach. "What grade are you in?"

"I'm a junior, sir."

"Leah's graduated last year. But she skipped a grade in elementary school, so I guess she's only a year older than you?" Sue questioned.

"Yeah…I guess."

I hated this, hated feeling like I didn't know Leah at all, even when I knew I didn't. I wanted to know everything about her – her likes and dislikes, all her quirks, what made her happy and what made her sad, who she admired and hated, her favorite subjects, her favorite color, if she liked wolves…

"Mom, can I have some more?" Seth had already devoured five cinnamon rolls and looked like he could handle five more. I assumed he wasn't all that far from phasing.

"Sure, sweetie." Sue got up and dutifully marched into the kitchen.

"_Oh my God._"

Relief hits me like a ton of bricks, hearing that voice. It had been less twelve hours since I'd last heard it, but every second without Leah could be counted as torture. I spun around in my chair, making the chair squeak across the floor, and found a highly irate Leah.

She was wearing jean shorts and a white tank top that made her waistline look like a popsicle stick. I understood then that it wasn't just me that should be worried about Leah – everything about her screamed _malnourished. _My stomach twisted like it had been stabbed.

"Good morning. Cinnamon roll?" I gesture to the uneaten one on my plate in an offer I know she won't take.

"What the hell are you doing here? Are you fucking _crazy_?"

Sue chose this moment to wander back into the room. "Language!" she snapped at her daughter.

Leah ignored that. "What are you doing here? I didn't invite you here." She turned to her parents and repeated, "I didn't invite him here."

"We know you didn't," Sue replied carefully. "Seth did." She pursed her lips. "Is that not alright with you?"

"I—you—" Leah stomped her foot down in a signal of protest. "You're _stalking _me," she accused.

_You have no idea, _I thought, immediately full of acid-like shame.

"I wasn't going to pass up free cinnamon rolls," I told her reasonably.

She glared at me, obviously wanting more of an explanation for my sudden unwavering appearance in her life.

"You know what? Whatever," she snapped. "I'm going out."

"Where?" I said at the same time as Sue.

She shot me a look of furious disbelief and told her mother, "Roger is taking me out for the day. I'll be back by curfew."

I was out of my seat in an instant. I don't know where I was going with that dramatic gesture, but it was probably wise, considering the chair probably couldn't withstand the amount of protest I had to that statement.

"Who's Roger?" I demanded.

"My _boyfriend_," Leah snarled. When she saw the look on my face, she said, "God, leave me alone!"

She made an attempt to storm out of the room, but I stepped in her path, blocking the way to the door.

"You're crazy," she spat.

_You're _mine, I thought.

"Move out of my way!" she squealed after a few seconds of standing there. We were close, too close, and I had to fight the need to reach out to her.

There were so many things I wanted to tell her. _Leave Roger, _I would say. _Tell me all about it…tell me about Sam, how he broke you heart, how you never moved on. I don't care. Tell me anything. Just stay with me. _

"Embry…" Sue started to say warningly, but Leah had already pushed me aside and I was following her out of the house.

She grabbed the car keys from the table in the foyer and shoved the door open. It was sprinkling outside, a little chilly, but Leah didn't seem to mind. She turned on me the moment the door was closed.

"Look," she said with suppressed rage. "I don't know what your problem is. Just because you're a friend of Sam's…or because you gave me a ride yesterday…or what…you can't just be here. It doesn't _work _that way."

I must have been a masochist, because I asked the one question that all imprinter's should know better than to ask their imprintee' during a fight. It was the ultimate question, the one that could destroy my entire life.

"Do you not want me here?"

"I—what? Of course I don't want you here!"

My entire body literally deflated, leaving me out of oxygen. _I can't do that, _I wanted to scream. But the fact was I could do anything when it came to Leah. If she wanted me to leave, I'd take whatever kind of pain it caused me, because she needed to be happy. More than anyone in the entire world, Leah needed to be happy.

"Okay." My voice sounded very far away, probably because of the blood pounding in my ears, triggered by the thought of leaving her.

"Okay." She sounded surprised that I'd consented so quickly, which made me think that people didn't often do what she asked, which made me angry all over again, which—

But I had to stop thinking that way _right now. _

Leah hopped into her car and sped out of the driveway and down the road, obviously in a hurry to be away. Watching the car fade into the distance, I felt my heart being split apart, the _much _larger majority being ripped away from me.

And I couldn't function right without it.

***

"You are making me depressed, dude. I shouldn't have to be depressed."

"Shut up, Paul," Jared muttered. "If it's depressing you so badly, just leave him alone."

"I can't. He's on my couch. This room is fair game."

Jared and Paul stood in the corner of the room discussing me in hushed tones, even though I'm sure they knew I could here them anyway. Jared kept glancing over with an alarmed look on his face, like I was going to jump off a building at any moment, while Paul was pulling his usual insensitive jackass act.

"Go to Sam's," Jared suggested.

"Make _him _go to Sam's," Paul snapped irritably.

"No. He came here for a reason."

The reason being to get away from Sam and Emily. I couldn't be alone now, for fear of what I might do, but I didn't want to be around Sam and Emily at the moment. I didn't much want to see the happily imprinted couple, and if I'd stayed, I probably would have lashed out at them. So instead of going home to my empty house, I came to the place Jared and Paul shared. Kim was away at her grandmother's house for the weekend – I was glad.

The argument lasted a few more minutes, and I only glanced up when I heard the door slam shut. Jared was standing alone now, his arms folded across his chest, staring at me with a frown on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked bluntly.

"No."

I didn't feel right, not knowing where Leah was or what she was doing or if she was safe. It was like having a terminal illness – the uncertainty of not knowing if you're going to wake up in the morning. If something happened to Leah…my life would be over. She _was _my life. I couldn't believe I'd let her out of my sight.

I felt sick to my stomach and exhausted, every bone in my body aching. My fingernails dug into my palms; the only traces of the already-healed wounds was the dried blood on my hands. Before imprinting, I would have thought this kind of self-abuse was taking things a little overboard. If it had been Jared or Sam, I probably would have thought they were a little crazy.

"She'll come home," Jared said with such certainty I might have found comfort in different circumstances. "She'll come home, and you'll see her again, and you'll get her. She'll be yours."

"What if it was Kim?" I croaked, turning over on my back and pulling a pillow over my face. "What if…"

"I guess I'd be in the same shape you are," Jared replied, settling on the recliner. "And you'd probably be telling me the same exact thing I'm telling you now." He paused thoughtfully. "It wouldn't make me feel any better, either."

"So why are you saying it?"

"Because…I think it's true. And even if it doesn't make a difference, you should hear it from someone," he said. "It's going to be okay, Embry."

"I can't…" I groaned, holding my stomach. "I can't even think. I don't even know who Roger is…I don't even know who he _is._ She hates me. She wants me to leave her alone, and I have to, I can't keep following her around if she wants me gone…"

"She won't always want you gone. You know how it works. Look at Sam and Emily."

The walls felt like they were closing in around me. The air in the room was stale, or my lungs were punctured, because my breathing was coming in hoarse gasps. Nothing Jared said processed with me, made me feel any better. I needed to see her. I didn't know how much longer I could live without seeing her…

"Sam made her do this," I growled. "Sam's the reason she's always so upset. If it wasn't for Sam, she wouldn't be doing this…"

"You know Sam couldn't help it. You know what it's like," Jared pointed out.

"I don't care. It's all his fault."

_Overreaction. Childish. _My rational side was screaming protests at me, not understanding my eagerness to place the blame on my brother.

Jared turned on a football game, sensing my need to drop the subject. I watched the TV without really seeing, and maybe fifteen minutes later, I asked, "Does it get easier?"

Jared looked up from the screen, curious. "Does what get easier?"

"Being away from them…from Kim. Is it easier now than it was at first?"

Jared smiled ruefully. "No," he said. "It's never easier, not being with her. But it's better when I know where she is, and that I know she'll call me if anything's the matter. One day it'll be like that with you."

"You don't know Leah," I said. "She wouldn't ever…I don't think she's the kind of girl that would ever call me if anything was the matter. She'd try to handle everything herself."

"Maybe," Jared said, "she does that because she thinks she has to."

**I love Embry Call! **

**Well I hope you enjoyed this. I know I probably didn't use enough details in this, but remember it was rushed! It's mostly dialogue, probably because I just have more fun with dialogue, but I promise I'll try to add more details in the future when I have more time. The next update should be up soon! Review =)**


	6. Chapter 6

**To tell you the truth, I don't really like this chapter very much, but I wrote it really fast and didn't have time to edit it, and _plus, _it's been a more than a month and I figured something was better than nothing.**

**I have so much explaining to do! I can't believe it's been this long, and I am so unbelievably sorry! But I do have a very true and somewhat disturbing excuse for my prolonged absence.**

**While I was away I was: breaking up with my boyfriend, quitting my job, graduating, getting back together with my boyfriend, applying for jobs that might help me pay off my student loan, fighting with my parents, moving out of my house (two months before I'm moving down to UF), crashing on my best friend's couch, vacationing in Chicago, maid-of-honor-ing, moving into my brother's living room, living solely on Ramen noodles and smoothie mix, moving out of my brother's living room, being made godmother to my sister's new baby girl, moving into my sister's house (no rent, but a full-time babysitting job), taking care of a newborn day in and day out, making peace with my parents, and packing for college.**

**SO, I've been really, really busy. I know it's kind of a lame excuse, but I honestly have not had five minutes to sit down and type down this chapter. Now, however, I have moved in (once again) with my brother and am enjoying a somewhat peaceful existence - for a little while, at least, until I have to pack up and move down to Florida. So chapters should be coming more often, I hope!**

**Anyway, enjoy. Sorry it's short. :[**

_**Chapter Six.**_

I circled the forest in my wolf form behind Leah's house for hours before she finally arrived home just after midnight. I could hear the slam of her car door and the jingling of her keys, and then she started talking, and I rustled through the bushes to hear better.

"…can't tonight, Roger…I'm tired…"

In my haste to hear the conversation, I pawed my way through the shrubbery, and lost the beginning of the man, Roger's, reply.

"—always tired lately, baby. I thought we had fun today." His voice was deep and slightly raspy, like a smoker's.

I growled deeply, a shuddering eruption in my chest.

"I never said I didn't have fun," Leah snapped in a voice I was deeply accustomed to. "I'm just exhausted. I'll see you Wednesday night, okay?"

"Whatever, baby. See you."

The gentle trudging of her footsteps led to the front door of the house, and when the door snapped shut I let out the breath it seemed like I'd been holding in all day.

She was alright. I let the thought reverberate through my mind as I ran home.

I was able to sleep that night, but woke up exhausted and irritable, all of my thoughts still back at the Clearwater's. With everything I was going through, going to school didn't make much sense anymore. I'd always done well in school, but lately it was increasingly hard to show up at all, let alone get all the work done. Being a werewolf really fucked up with my priorities.

Still, I knew I had to go. If I missed many more days, I didn't have much hope of passing my junior year.

"Have a good day, sweetie," my mom told me, slipping me my backpack and kissing my cheek. "I'm not going to be home until late, make sure you lock up."

"Okay, Mom," I said, and ducked out the door.

I walked down the porch steps and past all my mother's flower pots, mindful of not stepping on the plants. Having a flower garden in La Push is like trying to grow them underground – it's pointless. Apparently my mom thought she'd somehow defy this law of nature, however, because it seemed like every week she came home from Johnston's Nursery with her hands full of colorful bursts of plants. She'd get all excited planting them, saying, _The lady at the store told me these babies will grow anywhere. _About a week later, the plants inevitably die. Something about the combination of lack of sunlight and buckets of water doesn't bode well with living things.

It wasn't raining today, though, but the sky promised no hint of light, just the same gloomy, omnipresent covering of clouds as always. I pulled up the hood on my jacket and sauntered down the road. There was no point in taking the car to school; La Push High had about fifty parking spots, and I was already late, so there was no way I would be able to find one. And considering the school itself was about five minutes away, it wasn't even worth getting my car started.

I was never what you would call a particularly attentive student, but today was the worst of it. Passing Calculus was suddenly the _least _of my worries. Instead I stared out the window and pondered all the possible things that Leah could be doing.

She'd already graduated last year, and she didn't go to college. That much I knew. But I had no idea if she had a job, and that bothered me all day. If she wasn't at home, I wanted to know _exactly _where she was, every single second.

It was halfway through third period that I realized I was tapping my foot insistently on the floor and the girl to the left of me was obviously annoyed. I tried to stop, but found that I couldn't. I had to do _something_.

"Is something the matter?" the girl finally snapped, turning to glare at me.

There was a time, not that long ago, that I recalled thinking I sat next to a relatively attractive girl in this class. Jake, who sat in the back of the classroom, had strongly agreed with my assessment. But now, the girl seemed to somehow fade into the background of my mind, like I wasn't really looking directly at her. The second I looked away, I knew I wouldn't remember what she looked like at all.

"No," I replied. And continued the tapping.

I was fairly certain I hadn't always been this annoying.

She turned away from me, ripping a page out of her notebook rather violently.

Some people just don't _understand. _

I took lunch off-campus. I wasn't sure why, but a part of me was hoping I'd see Leah somewhere, like if I kept thinking about how much I needed to see her she'd suddenly be there. But things don't work that way.

Instead, I saw Jake and Quil.

I should have known better than to go to the burger joint down the road, a place where Jake, Quil and I had spent many lunch breaks during our high school years. I should have known they'd be there.

But, thinking about it, it was obvious I hadn't been thinking about what Jake or Quil would be doing.

They were in the line ahead of me, and Quil was flirting shamelessly with the cashier who was quite obviously too old for him. I was feeling pretty nostalgic when Jake sensed my presence and turned around, looking at me like he didn't know me, like we hadn't been best friends since before we could remember.

Which was what I worked so hard to achieve.

There was a long silence, and then Quil tore away from the cashier and looked back, and broke the tension by saying, "Embry, man! Long time, man, long time."

I nodded at him, unsure of what to say.

"Heard it from Seth that you were hanging out with Leah," Quil said. "Lucky bastard. I'd give an arm and a leg to have a piece of—"

But the growl that erupted from me was too sharp, and Quil immediately broke off.

Quil glanced at Jake, who glanced at me, and then they both walked away without another word.

Everything would just be so much easier when they phased, I told myself. And they _would _be phasing soon. They had to be.

The truth was, I wanted to tell Jake and Quil what had happened to me. I wanted to be able to get their advice, or at least just laugh about it, about _something_, because I could feel myself falling into a deeper and deeper depression that I might never be able to pull myself out of. I needed my best friends, but there was no way they'd talk to me now without knowing what the reason for my distancing myself from them was.

I ordered a four hamburgers and ate them all. The feeling of all that food in my stomach should have been enough to make me feel full, but I wasn't.

I wasn't full. I _couldn't _be full.

I was empty, I realized, shoving my tray away.

***

There are many ways in which someone can attempt to avoid depression.

In the next three days, I attempted every single one of them.

I tried to occupy myself with something else. Schoolwork didn't work, and even patrol didn't seem to do anything except make Paul increasingly more annoyed with my lovesick melancholy. I tried not to think about it – her - which involved in almost comical attempt at flipping through racy magazines that used to interest me, but now did absolutely nothing except make me unconsciously compare every woman to Leah.

It was torture, every single moment of it.

I checked her house every morning and every night to make sure she was okay – I _had _to – but I always made sure she never saw me. She didn't _want _to see me, and by God, she wouldn't.

Sam stared at me incomprehensively, Jared offered half-hearted words of encouragement, and Paul glowered. My mom, especially, noticed a perceptive different in me.

She said I looked pale one evening, and proceeded to place her hand on my forehead before I could even think to stop her. She let out an incredulous yelp and jumped up from her seat to retrieve the thermometer. "You are _burning up_, Embry," she cried. "Get into bed _right now_!"

It took me three minutes of holding the thermometer under lukewarm water to get it to a reasonable 101.3 degrees, which was still enough for my mother to declare me an invalid.

"Rest," she said sternly. "_Don't _get up. I'll bring you some soup."

I wasn't sick, but the rest felt nice. Jared, the most sympathetic to my pathetic state, had promised to check up on Leah twice a day while my mother fussed over me. I knew without a doubt that he would tell me if something was wrong.

However, I couldn't maintain a fake illness forever. Eventually I pressed a freezing cold washcloth to my forehead long enough to make my temperature seem normal for a few seconds, and my mom agreed to let me out of bed. The first thing I did was run to Leah's house.

She wasn't home. I hadn't expected her to be, really. Nothing with Leah would ever be that easy, I was coming to realize, and so I'd have to wait. I stayed in my human form behind the trees, leaning over to catch a glimpse of the darkened driveway every now and then.

I hated this. There was no getting used to the feeling of life without Leah, no shying away from the pain or trying to distract myself. Worrying about her simply _was _my life, it seemed.

There were so many things that could happen to her! Car accidents, murders, rape, robbery, kidnappings, gang violence…It wasn't the kind of topics that usually occupied my mind, but it didn't make _sense_ that all those things should exist in the world where someone like Leah lived.

I waited, and I waited, and I waited, and when a car finally drove up in the parking lot, relief flooded in me like a dam had collapsed. The relief, no matter how sweet, was short-lived, however, as I immediately realized something was wrong.

The door opened and slammed, and then I heard a sound that could have only been a gasp.

"I've had enough of this," the same guy from before, Roger, snapped.

"Stop it." Leah's voice, while determined and loud, wavered on the last word. I felt a sick feeling pool in my stomach.

"You're such a fucking tease," Roger shouted, and shot out an arm to push Leah back against his truck. There was another gasp, followed by a grunt.

My blood ran cold.

Leah whimpered.

With a savage yell ripped from my soul, I shoved through the forest, aware that no matter what form I ended up in, I was going to kill Roger. And I was going to smile doing it.

**Next chapter is being written right now!**

**And thank you, thank you, _thank you _to all my wonderful reviewers! I can't tell you how happy checking my email and finding new reviews makes me. I love you guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I uploaded this a while back, and then I realized it never took, I am SO sorry about that! **

**I gave it a quick read-through but didn't have time for a full-on edit, so I apologize now for any spelling/grammar mistakes.**

**I hope you enjoy it anyway, and reviews are always appreciated!**

* * *

**_Leah's POV:_**

It was raining.

Hard and fast, like an ice-cold shower you just stepped into. Everywhere you looked, there was that tell-tale mist that promised hours and hours of precipitation. I had just gotten home from school and was sitting in the kitchen, doing my literature homework, trying to tune out Seth and his friends in the other room.

Graduation was a month away. A month, and then I would move out, to Seattle with Sam. We'd been planning it for ages. At first I'd insisted that we should just stay in La Push and I could attend the community college thirty minutes away, that way Sam could keep his job. But Sam knew my dreams, and a part of me thought it would have killed him more than me if I'd given them up. Washington State had sent me my acceptance letter a few months ago, and he'd immediately started looking for apartments near camping, insisting there were plenty more job opportunities for him in Seattle than there were in La Push. And despite the weirdness with Sam lately, the disappearance a few weeks ago that had nearly killed me, the distance he was putting between us and the time apart, I knew – just _knew _– nothing would change. It was _us_, after all.

I didn't hear the first knock at the door because of the rain. When the pounding became more insistent, Seth called out, "Leah, door!"

I checked the digital clock on the microwave. Quarter to five. More than likely, Mom was home from the grocery store and had forgotten her keys, which was something she was doing more and more often lately. I put down my pencil and crossed the room to open the door for her, and then let out a pathetic little, "_Oh_."

Sam was looking down at me, his face impassive, almost like he was hidden in the shadows, even though he wasn't. His hair was shorter, and he might have been even taller than the last time I'd seen him. It had been so long since I'd seen him. Longer than I'd realized.

He was on edge, everything he did careful and choppy, like he was afraid of something. "Can I—come in?" he asked, motioning inside. I noticed that his hands were shaking.

"Yeah." I closed the door behind him and started walking to the kitchen, knowing he would follow, because he always did. My friends jokingly called him my "little puppy dog", and maybe that was true, but it went both ways.

"Do you want anything to dr—"

He was talking before I could get the sentence out. "Look, I don't know how to do this. Christ, I can't—I don't—" His eyes flew to mine, and as sad and pathetic as his words sounded, they were completely blank. So many times I'd comforted him. I thought about just two weeks before, that night he'd finally come home, the relief that had turned into single-minded fear when he wouldn't tell me anything. Even then, I'd tried to make it better. Make it okay for him. But now, I couldn't. I was afraid, I realized – afraid of _Sam_.

Or maybe the look in his eyes. I'd always loved his eyes – deep and expressive, the kind of eyes that gave away emotions. When he looked at me, I'd always been able to find love within their depths.

Now, I couldn't find anything.

"I don't know how to do this, Leah," he finally choked out.

"Do _what_?" I demanded, my voice hoarse and panicky.

"I don't want to hurt you – I never wanted to hurt you," he said. It was almost to himself. "But I – something – something happened and – "

I took a step back from him, fear rising in every inch of me. "What are you talking about, Sam?"

He started pacing, his hands shoved deep in his pocket, his eyes squeezed shut. I felt like something was going to burst within him. For a long time, he just walked back and forth in my kitchen, not talking or looking at me, and then finally he burst out, "There are some things you don't understand, okay?"

Tears I didn't know had formed started to fall from my eyes. "Then explain them to me," I whispered.

"I can't tell you and I can't – shit, I can't do this anymore."

I had a horrible feeling he wasn't talking about just the conversation.

"Just tell me," I said softly, and took a step toward him. He was frozen in place, staring at me, and for a second I thought for sure he was softening. I took a few more steps until I could reach a hand up to touch his cheek. His skin was stretched taut over his strong jaw, and it felt rougher than before. "I can help you, you know I can. Whatever it is, we'll fix it together, okay? Like always."

For a while, he looked at me, and then he stepped away.

"I'm sorry" was all he said.

"I don't care if you're sorry!" I finally cried out, because I was sobbing and I hated crying and I just wanted him to hold me, but God_dammit_, it was clear he wasn't going to. "Tell me what's the matter and I'll fix it, okay? You're _scaring me_!"

I didn't realize I'd screamed it, but apparently I had and that was enough to get Seth and his curious friends to peek through the doorway.

"Go away!" I yelled at them, and two of them scurried away, while Seth and another remained behind, watching me intently. "Seth, get the hell out of here!"

"What's the matter?" he asked, and for being thirteen, he sounded almost touchingly concerned.

"Nothing," I said, and my voice was a little nicer. "I just need some privacy, okay? Please."

Seth tugged on his friends sleeve and then they disappeared into the hallway.

Sam took this opportunity to start ignoring me again, and before I knew it, he was pacing again.

"I can't do it anymore, Leah," he said after an appallingly long time. "This…we…I can't."

That was what set me off.

"Oh, _you _can't do it, can you?!" I screamed. "You stupid son of a bitch! Are _you _the one who had to lose your mind for a week after your goddamn, good-for-nothing boyfriend decided to take off in the middle of the night and then suffered for even longer because he wouldn't tell you where the hell he went! Are _you _the one who is being totally ignored by the person you promised you'd spend the rest of your life with?!"

He just stared at me, letting me continue. I realized much later that maybe this was Sam's one last favor to me.

"I haven't stopped worrying about you for the last month, and you won't tell me anything, and I'm _losing my mind_! And now you're telling me _you _can't do it anymore? If you leave now, I swear to God, I'll never forgive you." I was shaking, literally shaking, as I realized how much he'd hurt me.

"I can't keep my promises," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

"And you're not going to tell me why? You _asshole_, you don't even have the nerve to say it to my face?" My face was streaked with tears, and I realized I was no longer crying – I was too mad.

"I can't tell you why!" he finally yelled, the first time he'd raised his voice. He closed his eyes roughly and took several seconds before continuing. "I wish I could."

It took me a long time to reply. I tried to separate my thoughts and emotions so I could tell him how I really felt, and it wasn't easy.

"But I gave you everything," I whispered.

"I wish I could have kept it," he said. "I wish I could give it back to you now and I wish you weren't crying and I wish I hadn't done this to you. Shit, Leah, you ever felt like your hurting everyone you care about and there's nothing you can do about it?"

"Yeah." It was out of my mouth before I could help it, and then I felt a surge of annoyance at myself for agreeing with him.

He looked at me in surprise. "I really am sorry, Leah."

"That isn't enough," I insisted. "This can't be it. You love me. I love you. We're moving in together! You _proposed, _Sam!"

"You didn't accept," he reminded me.

"I didn't _not _accept! I said we should wait until we were older and got jobs and – we had an agreement! You bought me a ring and I gave you my word that I would marry you _someday_ and, fuck you, you can't just take that all back now."

"I have to!"

"You don't have to do anything, you liar!"

"You don't understand!"

"You're right, I don't understand, because you won't tell me anything, and I hate you for that, Sam, I truly do."

"It just can't work."

"It can't work because you don't want it to anymore and for the life of me, I don't know why!" I took a deep breath. "You said you'd always love me. Remember? You said – "

"I know what I said," he said, his voice rough and hurt.

That made me want to say more. He looked so helpless, and I liked that he was helpless. I didn't feel very kind or generous at the moment.

"You said that once I graduated, we'd move to Seattle together and you'd prepare the biggest, best dinner for me and you'd get down on one knee and propose. You said you'd wear a tux for me, even though you hate them and would never do it for anyone else, and no matter how much you hate rings, you'd wear that damn wedding band for the rest of your life, because you knew it meant that I was your wife. You said we'd have kids, and you said you hoped for a daughter that would look just like me, and you'd protect her from all the bad stuff, just like you do for me. You said you'd love me more and more everyday and that you'd never stop!" The words flew from my mouth easily; it didn't take much to recall the promises that Sam had made to me. They were always right on the top of my mind.

"And now," I whispered, placing my hands on the counter to balance myself, "you're saying you don't love me at all?"

"I can't anymore," he said.

The pain that ripped through me then was unbearable and I doubled over in sobs that wouldn't calm down. I don't know what I'd expected Sam to say, but it wasn't that. _He didn't love me. _He'd just said he didn't love me. I clutched my waist desperately and wondered how I hadn't collapsed yet.

"_Get OUT!" _I screamed through the tears.

Sam stood there for a moment, his face unreadable, and he made a move almost as if to come to me before turning around and leaving through the front door. It took me a second to stand up and walk through the hallway, but he was already halfway out the door.

"I can't believe I gave you my virginity, you fucking bastard!" I shouted after him, and then somehow my legs found the floor and I was sprawled out, completely limp.

"Leah, honey?" My dad's voice was so close so fast that I knew he must have heard my last words, but I didn't care. He picked me up in his arms like a doll and cradled me for a long time, murmuring _shh sweet baby girl it's okay it's okay _in my ears until my sobs subsided some.

"I love you, Leah," Daddy said, and for the first time in my entire life, I wondered if those words meant anything at all.

That night, I called Emily for comfort.

It was the last time I ever did.

* * *

_A Year Later. _

A part of me understood Roger's anger.

His and mine was not a relationship of conversations or mutual respect; we were fuck buddies, and even I knew that. So the fact that I was holding back on him threw our entire system off dangerously off balance. After a straight week of me denying his constant request for sex, I knew the end was inevitable at this point.

I just didn't think it would be this…_dramatic. _

"I've had enough of this," he said. I could never get over how much his voice bothered me. It was the voice of a smoker, and when he kissed me, he tasted like cigarettes and cinnamon breath mints, two things I hated even when they weren't mixed.

He slammed open his car door, which surprised me, because I knew how much he loved his car. Sometimes he was lazy and forgot to shave for a while, and today was one of those days. His face was scruffy, but even so I could see the flush work it's way from his chin to his hairline.

I followed him out of the car, hoping that maybe I could sidetrack him and get a decent breakup conversation in, but before I could even open my mouth, Roger's hand was over my head, his body looming over mine threateningly, and I was pushed up against the side of his car.

A sense of fear rose in my stomach. "Stop it," I warned him, because I had no idea what he was going to do or what he was capable of. That was the thing – I didn't really know Roger at all.

"You are such a fucking tease," he spat at me, and his hand moved to grip my waist tightly.

I sucked in a breath. I'd never seen Roger angry; I'd never given him a reason to _be _angry. I certainly didn't think he was the kind of guy to _rape _someone, but then again, what did I know? Some of his friends weren't above such things. What made me think he was any different?

In a second, my mind became unattached to my body. I gave up. I quit. I didn't care what he did, because no one gave a shit anyway, and if someone had then I wouldn't be in this situation anyway.

And then Roger's weight was gone, and an inhuman sound echoed in the air, and a huge form was suddenly pummeling Roger's face into the cement. I couldn't breathe, not because of the shock or the confusion, but because I couldn't believe I'd just been about to let what Roger was doing _happen. _A feeling of shame trickled down my spine, and I shuddered.

Then I remembered what was happening.

Oh.

Roger was being trampled by someone who was much bigger than him, someone with russet skin and huge muscles and dark, silky black hair. And in that moment, all I could think was _Sam. _

He'd saved me.

Of course he had.

But it wasn't Sam. I knew his form too well, and the person who was beating Roger was a little less tall, a little less big, and a little too mad. It took me a second, but finally I got a close enough look at his face to see who it was.

"_Embry_?" I cried out, but he didn't hear me, he was so intent on beating Roger into the ground. There was blood everywhere; it covered Roger's face and Embry's fists.

He was going to kill Roger.

And, I realized, I didn't really want Embry Call to go to jail, at least not because of me.

"Embry, stop!" I yelled, hurrying forward. He either didn't hear me or was choosing to openly ignore my request.

"Does it make you feel good?" he was hissing at Roger. "Does it make you feel good to hurt someone half your fucking size? I swear to God, I'm going to rip off your face and make you – "

"Stop it. Stop it!" I put a hand on Embry's shoulder and tried to pull him back. His strength surprised me, though – considering the way his muscles stuck out even from his T-shirt – it probably shouldn't have. "Embry, you have to stop! Please!"

For a second, he froze. It was like the calm before the storm. He was shaking, his face a mask of pure rage, but he was completely silent as he stood up and moved away from Roger. I realized too late that he was coming towards me, and his face was changing. Suddenly it was full of concern and something else I couldn't quite pinpoint, but I'd seen it before in his expressions.

"Did he hurt you?" he said, and his voice was so hoarse.

I realized then that there a long streak of blood from his ear all the way to his jaw. Before I thought about, before I said anything, I reached out and touched it with my palm.

His eyes flew to mine searchingly, and he relaxed slightly.

"Are you…okay?" I asked, my voice cracking.

Embry looked confused, and then he laughed a choking laugh, strangled with anxiety and anger. "Shit, forget about me. What did he do to you? I heard him…say…but he didn't…"

"He didn't do anything to me," I said. I was unable to keep out the tinge of annoyance from my voice, that same feeling that I got every time someone doubted my ability to defend myself.

"I'll kill him," Embry offered, only it was more like a demand. "I _want _to."

Just like that, I was reminded of my situation, the fact that my boyfriend – well, ex-boyfriend now, I guess – was bleeding on the ground below me. I doubted Roger was going to face any serious problems besides maybe a slight facial disfigurement, but for the life of me, I couldn't bring myself to care.

"We should probably move him," I said. "Get him out of here, you know. Maybe to the hospital or something…"

"I'll cover it," Embry grunted. He pulled out a cell phone that looked sleek and tiny in his hands and was saying something into the phone I could barely here.

"Yeah…at the Clearwater's…dunno, you come and see and decide for yourself, I'm not going to do shit…No, no, don't bring him, come by yourself…yeah, thanks, man. Bye."

I stared at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Jared's going to come get him," Embry told me. "He'll see if he's hurt enough to go to the hospital, or maybe just dump him in the woods…" He sounded hopeful at this last idea.

"What were you doing here?" I asked, not because I was particularly interested but because I didn't know what else to say.

"I was…walking by and I heard him," Embry said, blushing. Maybe he was embarrassed at having walked in on that. Maybe he was lying.

"Yeah, well," I said in that awkward way I have when I don't know how to fill a moment. "Thanks, I guess."

He just looked at me for a really long time, his expression unreadable. There was something about Embry that was really open, completely different from Sam, despite the fact that they were apparently good buddies now. To me, Embry seemed like the anti-Sam, happy and carefree to Sam's sullenness and mysterious "responsibilities."

If my mother were here, she would insist that Embry be ushered inside and offered a warm meal. Of course, I wasn't my mother, and she was mostly likely inside asleep at the moment, but I had the most peculiar urge to do something nice for Embry. Not peculiar that I should feel grateful after what he'd done for me – that went without saying. But peculiar because it had been a long, long time since I'd done anything nice for _anyone_.

"Do you want to come inside or something?" I asked, blowing out a breath through pursed lips.

"Sure." Embry's response was immediate and enthusiastic.

I took him up to my room and snapped the door shut, hoping that it wouldn't give him any ideas about my intentions. Embry was too sweet for that, I thought, not like the other men I knew lately. Normally the living room would have been preferable, but I really didn't want to wake up my parents and have to face their annoyingly happy faces when they realized I was with Embry.

Lately, the amount of time they spent talking about him was exhausting. I don't know why, exactly, except maybe that they wanted me to move on with someone they approved of. It threw me off, because they'd never done that before, and it's always freaky having to listen to your father call a boy "perfectly charming and attractive."

I sat on my bed and Embry took the desk chair, and for a little bit we just looked at each other, neither of us making the move of speaking first.

"I could get you something to drink," I finally offered, eager to break the silence.

"I'm fine," Embry said.

"Okay then," I said, stumped. What did he expect me to do? I smiled at him, hoping say _something_, anything that might make this less uncomfortable.

"You have a great smile," he told me suddenly, looking up at me through those dark, hooded eyes. He really _was _handsome, in the most straight-forward and traditional way there was.

"Uh, thank you," I replied.

"You barely ever smile," he observed, about as tactful as a five-year-old.

"Well." After a few moments of thought I said, "I'm not one to waste a smile." It was true. I wasn't.

Embry smiled now, revealing a row of perfectly straight, white teeth. "No, you wouldn't be."

"Look, Embry…I know you're interested in me, or whatever, because to you I'm this dark and twisted soul with an especially nice ass, but it won't ever work between us. I just think you should know that."

I wasn't expecting his reaction, the twisting in his face that was almost angry. "I'm not interested in you because I think your dark and _twisted_, or because you have a great ass. I'm not like that, Leah."

"Then why are you interested? Sam's leftovers look appealing all of a sudden? I bet he talks about me to you, about how I was an easy fu—"

"It's not like that!" Embry interrupted. "Sam doesn't talk that way about you, you know."

"No, I don't know," I snapped. "Sam hasn't spoken to me in quite a while."

"Maybe…" he trailed off, looking away from me, examining some pictures on my bulletin board.

"Maybe what?" I asked.

"Maybe you should just let him go," he said. His eyes met mine again, and there was pity in them, pity that I couldn't bear to look at.

"Don't act like you know what Sam and I had!" I almost shouted, flushing an angry red. "You don't know _anything_."

Embry looked so ashamed of himself that, despite everything, I found myself wanting to give him a hug. "I only meant that you could be happy again…if you let yourself be."

"I _am _happy," I said, my voice completely lacking conviction.

"Happy with someone like Roger? Someone who's just using you for…sex? You're better than that, Leah, so much better," said Embry adamantly.

"You don't even _know _me," I said.

"Because you won't let me know you!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air like this was an ongoing source of exasperation for him.

"Fine. Fine! You want to know me? Be my guest. But I have to warn you, Embry, that I'm not nice, and I'm not pretty, and if you get involved then you're going to wish that you'd stuck with the nice little girls in your Chem class. You're only going to be disappointed."

He muttered something under his breath that sounded like "That's what _you _think" and then grinned. "I'm stronger than you think."

I checked out his biceps, thinking that if he was like all the other guys I knew he'd start flexing right then to prove his point. But he didn't.

"I'm sure you think you're _very _strong," I said anyway. "And I bet you think I'm going to fall at your feet eventually, because, what? You're so handsome and charming and sweet?"

His grin grew wider. "Maybe you will."

I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't bet on it."

Embry leaned forward, his face taking on a mischievous smile as he said, "Well, you might have noticed that you're up here with _me_, and not the boyfriend you came home with. Doesn't that say something?"

"No!" I informed him, feeling stupid, because when he put it like that it sounded like he was already working his magic on me.

"If I can get this far in a night, then I'd estimate that in a week I'll have you sharing all your deepest, darkest secrets and—"

"And what?" I demanded incredulously. "And talking about my hopes and dreams under the stars with you?"

He smirked. "Maybe not _that_…"

"I gave you permission to get to know me," I pointed out. "Not once did I say you could make any type of move on me, whether that be for a friendship or sex."

Embry nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, then."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really? It was that easy?"

At that he just grinned, that wide toothy grin that was soon to become a constant presence in my life, and shrugged. "Well, to be honest, if I'm going to make a move on you…I probably won't ask your permission."

* * *

**This chapter was almost impossible to get out, because no matter which point of view I tried it in it never seemed to work. I'm not really thrilled with the way it turned out, and it doesn't end the way I originally planned, because I have a hard time imagining Leah just "letting" Embry into her life. **

**Also, I'm having a bit of a writer's block problem with this story, so I really would appreciate any ideas from you guys! I'm always happy to please, and I'd like to know what would make you happy. **


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